Nigerian Polytechnics Academic Staff, ASUP Rejects New Governing Councils Appointed By Tinubu

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has rejected the newly reconstituted governing councils of the Nigerian government-owned polytechnics. In a statement signed by ASUP’s President, Shammah Kpanja, the union expressed dismay at the new list of appointees, whom it tagged as individuals with no knowledge of the polytechnic system.

Kpanja stated, “Having carefully studied the released list of new members, we want to express our dissatisfaction and disappointment with the composition for the Polytechnics.

 Our Union has been demanding that persons with the requisite knowledge of the workings of the sector be appointed.

 Such persons in the category of former Rectors and other Principal Officers from the sector, former chief executives and staff of the regulatory body, retired and serving Chief Lecturers, and other staff from the sector who have displayed adequate knowledge of the workings of the sector abound in sufficient numbers.

 The current composition falls significantly short of the above as no such person(s) in the categories listed was appointed. 

This is a great disservice to the Polytechnics and is also different from the experience in the two other sub-sectors that make up the tertiary education sector.”

The union noted that former Executive Secretaries of regulatory bodies were appointed in the other sub-sectors but none was curiously found appointable for the Polytechnics.

 ASUP demanded that the list for the Polytechnics be reviewed before the inauguration to include the class of persons with requisite knowledge of the workings of Polytechnics.

 It noted that a review of the list will save the sector from a crisis associated with poor governance, which is likely to prevail if the list is not reviewed accordingly.

Eleven months after the administration of President Bola Tinubu dissolved the governing councils of FG-owned universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, it unveiled a list of newly appointed members of councils on Saturday.

 The list was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Didi Walson-Jack.